COMING SOON
The AgoVita Experience: Social Media Site Changes the Travel Marketing Landscape
September 25, 2009 – No industry has gone through as much transformation – some would call it evolution -by the internet’s coming of age as has the travel industry. Direct online bookings, OTAs and aggregator sites have made travel agents virtually obsolete: today’s travel shoppers have unprecedented amounts of information and tools available to make their purchase decisions, all of which are right at their fingertips. The exotic appeal of travel and the anticipation of the travel planning process, while it still exists, has become so immediate and transparent as the cover of a computer or Smartphone screen.
A new travel site, AgoVita Travel, is taking online travel planning a big step further, by creating a social network of impassioned travelers and travel companies that provide them with critical travel services. AgoVita, set for launch in November, will allow travelers to create a profile and share their experiences with like-minded travelers, while simultaneously offering links to location-specific travel companies, reviews, and news and travel alerts. In other words, a complete one-stop-travel-experience-shop, online.
The Evolution of Online Travel, Booking and Communities
The travel industry has responded resoundingly to the evolution of online transactions, including the rise of social media. It’s been nine years since TripAdvisor introduced the travelling public to user-generated reviews, and the boom in traveler-to-traveler networks since then has mirrored the explosion of larger communities like Facebook and Twitter. The power of this phenomenon (remember when we called it web 2.0?) really does represents the future of travel booking. Today, blogs, forums, social networks and other social media influence the travel decisions of 23% of all US travelers, and 36% of all US travelers aged 18 to 36, according to a study by Ad-Ology research[1]– and these numbers are growing. A similar study conducted by PhoCusWright[2] found that even during the current recession, monthly traffic and conversion among travel websites (including travel-specific social media sites) continued to grow at a fast pace.
AgoVita leverages this growing online influence for travelers and the businesses that serve them. AgoVita is more travel-centric than the mainstream social networks, and provides a larger range of travel-focused services, including an in-site booking path for travel-related purchases. But it also differentiates itself from proprietary review and referral sites by honing in on the social network aspect. AgoVita is first and foremost a network of travelers – and the ancillary services it offers enhances the experience for the community’s members and participants.
Creating Valuable Connections with Travelers and Travel Companies
Not only is the site of tremendous value to consumers, AgoVita offers an unprecedented opportunity for travel businesses, namely an affordable way to reach their customers. Airlines, hotels, tour operators and destinations have recognized the importance of social media in terms of building and raising awareness of their brands, and sites like AgoVita give travel businesses the opportunity to reach their ideal target audience – avid travelers. User-generated reviews and word-of-mouth referrals give these businesses credibility that traditional marketing can’t match, and savvy companies are using this site to their advantage.
Being successful with social media sites is only possible if travel companies put time and effort into their campaigns. It’s not only about signing up, making a profile and then forgetting it; companies must continuously update their sites with new and interesting content, and interact with their customers on an ongoing basis. JetBlue, Southwest and Virgin America are great examples of organizations that have used social media to their advantage. But one of their competitors wasn’t so smart: one US airline responded to only 5 tweets (out of 186 questions directed to it) in a one month period, and received more than 200 complaints for its inaction[3], according to an IAG report.
More and more travel companies are increasingly aware of their standing on social media sites, and are recognizing the value of these channels as direct avenues of communication between them and their customers. Social media is changing the game for travel operators in every corner of the globe, placing more emphasis on how they are perceived by existing customers rather than how they can control the perceptions of potential consumers. With social media sites like AgoVita wielding more power and influencing travel decisions, travel businesses need to step up and recognize the importance that they will have in their long-term growth and success.
About AgoVita Travel
AgoVita Travel is a social networking site for people who are passionate about traveling. The site, which will go live in November 2009, will offer consumers the ability to create a personal profile page, post stories and photos of their travels, create friendships, take part in one-on-one chats, take part in the community forum and more. Travel businesses will be able to use the AgoVita Travel Network to promote their products/services to their ideal target audience – frequent travelers. Consumers can sign up to receive the AgoVita Travel newsletter and be kept up-to-date on site developments at www.agovitatravel.com. Businesses who are interested in joining the Travel Network can contact Jennifer Rodrigues at jrodrigues@thinkinkpr.com.
[1] http://www.bizreport.com/2009/09/online_trumps_traditional_media_in_influencing_travelers.html
[2] ibid.
[3] http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=17950
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